NoDak 2008

North Dakota Pheasant Hunt Trip

October 28-31, 2008

Second year for the North Dakota Pheasant hunt. Dev and I did the trek along with Obie. It was a great time with lots of shooting, beautiful weather, and ugly scenery but we didn't go for the scenery, we went for the shooting and hunting. They say that pictures are worth a thousand words so why belabor the point with a boring story?

The first day we had a hard time "hitting" the birds. A little rusty I would say. Obie found every bird we shot so it turned out to be very successful. The second day we hit a lot of birds that we didn't find. I think we were starting to get a little closer to the target and getting a little more on task. Obie on the other hand didn't find all of them. We ended up loosing the equivelant of a limit. One of our old friends said he doesn't count if you don't pick them up so we moved on the best we could. On the third day we couldn't find any birds to shoot. The birds were really spooky and would fly up long before we got there.

Obie was really fun to watch. He would get a scent and start to go wild. The tail swings totally out of control and he is 100% focused on a mission. As he gets closer to the birds he will start to do the "coyote jump" pounce thing and get an idea where the bird is. When this happens you want to make sure you are there and ready because it usually means a bird within a matter of seconds. If so, and you hit it, and he can see it all happen he is all over it and get the bird. When he has to pick up the scent again he looses focus and unless it is nearby can't put the sequence all together. We need about a month of this type of game and we all would be better shots and the dog would be better retrievers!

Winter is finally here!

Winter finally showed up just before Christmas. Over the holidays the boys enjoyed a great day at Targhee with Scott and Brady. They are still confused how those two can be such good friends...Scott is so straight and Brady on the other hand is on the fun side. We have shovelled snow at least weekly for the past month.

This isn't all bad. The snowmobiling has been great! The hot tubbin' is fun in the cold and we all really enjoy the break of winter.

We had a great time watching Cindy and Corey Smith's lab puppies. Obie almost found himself at the adoption agency!

Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas 2007! This year creates a bit of challenge to us. As you all know, the writer’s guild is on strike and Brad, being a member of the guild (at least he thinks he is), cannot cross the picket line to contribute to this year’s letter. The task has been left to Devin and I.

The year started out with all of the kids home for New Years Eve. We had a great time and made arrangements for a family picture. This picture hangs above the fireplace as a constant reminder of our many blessings and our unwavering love for each other.

TIME OUT! HOLD THE PHONE! JUST ONE &@#% MINUTE!!! This Christmas letter needs some sarcastic humor. Strike or no strike, I can’t sit here and listen to a whole page of this. Not from this family!

The picture in January was great but we froze our hinies off! What loser decides to take a picture in the dead of winter, just before dark, without any coats or hats??? Do you know how much body heat you can lose through a bald head? Hello! Thank goodness for the wonders of digital photography to correct our red faces and dribbly noses.

Spring break took us to Corn Creek at the edge of the Frank Church Wilderness in Central Idaho. We enjoyed being literally all alone and totally away from the world…no cell phones, no computers, no TV. It was great until the RV battery died. No problem, just plug into the pick-up and let it recharge. Some loser forgot and left the RV plugged into the pick-up over night. The result - dead batteries in the RV and the pick-up. (Blame it on being 50?) Thank goodness the McGiver instinct kicked or we probably would still be there.

In May Kendall finished a sufficient number of the State of Idaho education requirements to graduate from high school. In our nightly prayers we still express our thanks for George Jr. and his “leave no child behind” program. Devin is our last hope for a 4.0 student.

Jen and Scott became “Cheeseheads” this summer as Scott completed his internship with SC Johnson (the windex company). It must have been a good thing as they will return to Racine, WI for permanent employment this spring. It will be interesting to see how they handle their rock climbing, backpacking, and camping habits living on the banks of Lake Michigan.

Eric and Natalie maintain their 1M license plates (Rexburg). Eric thoroughly loves his job with Premier Performance making diesel pick-ups perform like a bad boy. Natalie graduates from BYU-I this month with a Business Communications degree fulfilling a real market niche; a hairdresser who can actually carry on an intelligent conversation. They are expecting their first child in March.

Devin has learned to be careful for what you wish for. Having Kendall at BYU-I has not been as much fun as he thought it would be. He realizes that middle-aged parents with loser tendencies can think about something long enough that they begin to believe it actually happened without actually doing it. (in short, pull a Reagan) As a result he has developed an active social life enjoying the benefits of his hard work and appetite for the finer things in life. His financial advisor recently hired K-D Lawncare to put up his Christmas lights. When asked how much he owed them, Devin replied, “guarantee us 12% this coming year and we will call it even”. That’s my boy!

Kendall discovered a new way to expand his hunting habit, one without seasons or limits…varmints and predators. He is proposing a bonus point program with the fish and game department; 5 skunks or raccoons gives you an extra limit of pheasants, 3 coyotes is an extra deer tag, and 1 wolf is an extra elk tag.

Obie (the dog) had a great year. He loved the freedom of Corn Creek, backpacking with Kendall, Scott, and Jenny in the Windrivers (logging approximately 100 dog miles), and earning his keep by pheasant hunting with the boys in North Dakota and sniffing out a total of 59 roosters. Life is good if you are a dog at our house.

Despite the sarcasm, life really is great! We enjoy good health, the freedoms of a great country, and the blessings of the fullness of the Gospel. We hope this Christmas Season finds the same for you and yours.